M4P, Livelihood Research on Kalari Cheesemakers

Project Holder: JATINDER HANDOO, ICFAI school of public policy,Hyderabad, jatinhandoo@gmail.com

Mission: To empower hill based traditional dairy farmers economically by carrying out issues based research in agriculture sector and influencing public policy.

Vision: A hill based society with livelihood security

Outcome:
a)Role of public policy for economic development of dairy farmers in the hills of Jammu and Kashmir (state using the case of a traditional cheese kalari.)
b)How public policy can enable development of value chains and appropriate markets that can improve the livelihoods of small holder dairy farmers in remote hilly regions of J & K.

Objective:

1. To identify and analyze current kalari production and marketing system various stakeholders their interaction and role play

2. To identify various components of kalari value chain,

3. To map and analyze gaps in the existing policy and institutional arrangements for smallholder dairy units

4. To get a quality report/paper on cheese kalari value chains including policy arrangements and markets.

5. To get a paper/ livelihoods policy brief published and post it to policymakers and bureaucrats in the state so as the information can help decision makers

6. To use the results of the study for policy advocacy in future

7. The study can be a used as a case for the future works in hill based livelihoods models by centre for civil society.

Strategy:

ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK
Developmental Economics
– Focus on the interface between development and policy making
– Evidence based policy making as theoretical framework
(a) Primary and Secondary Data,
(b) Reasoning,
(c) Stake holder’s Voice

Did personal interviews with District Vet Officer Udhampur who is in fact responsible for dairy dev schemes in the district. Govt of J&K has no scheme for support of Kalari farmers or Marketing. Another personal interview was done with Chief Agri. Officer Udhampur and District Extension Officer—- This office is responsible for fodder development schemes , but as ususal no data available. Govt depts have no or very compartment based linkages , rigid mandates and red tapism.

Markers are unorganised, the kalari value chain is domonated by local ahartiyas/ middle men/halwais . I feel there is a strong role of statae and a need for sound inclusive public policy for dairy development in general and kalari in particular.

Focuss group conducted at dramthal in chenanai block of udhampur district has revealed some important information about marketing channels .Farmers , particularly women have very little options to sell kalaris . Marketing channels are two folds, one is that a local village person who is either a shopkeeper or a local aggregator collects kalaris from women around 200-400 gms / women/farmer and pays them accordingly. stores kalaris for 2-3 days(thee is no cool chain or hygenic storage facilities in hills) and when it becomes around 10-15 kg, they fill the baskets and sell kalaris at city markets at higher price.
Next option for those who live near roads is that , small children bring kalaris to road side halwais/milk parlour owners and dhabas and sell it there.

MAIN POINT which we got here is the absence of formal marketing system and lack of marketing infrastructure . One of the best option could be that existing J&K Milk marketing cooperative federation could procure kalaris directly from farmers by forming women Self Help Groups(SHGs) and credit linking them. Panchayats can play an important role in facilitataing marketing or kalari as well as other milk products and hill based products to strengthn livelihoods of people who dwel in remote hilly regions.

Dear Friends,
I am engagaed in compilation of data and report. If you have come across some similar dailry related reports in Hills, plz post web links to me ,that would help me in review of literature.